


A Meeting Under Lights

by succculent_horror (Voyaelm)



Category: Boyfriend to Death (Visual Novels)
Genre: First Meetings, Gen, I heavily relate to Lawrence, Night Clubs, Rating for general themes of BTD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-07-04 15:22:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15844038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Voyaelm/pseuds/succculent_horror
Summary: He knows one thing has brought this group of opposites together. The same thing he has in common with them. Killing humans and taking pride in the work.Finally a group that /accepts/ and /understands/ him.





	A Meeting Under Lights

**Author's Note:**

> Let's say this is basically BTD:2 but Strade doesn't die and Ren is freed.

“I want you to meet a couple pals of mine.”

That's what Strade says when he suddenly appears at his apartment door. Lawrence doesn't have much of a choice. He's terrified of talking to new people -- talking to Strade was already almost  _too much_ \-- but he also couldn't say no. Strade came all the way here, and Lawrence would hate to send him home. And Lawrence has the feeling that Strade wouldn't leave if he asked.

So his utter lack of a backbone led him here. To the entrance to a club/bar. He's driven past it when he goes to get groceries in the middle of the night (less people) and it always looks packed. A place that would amplify his anxiety a-million-fold.

And he's about to walk in. 

Strade’s arm wraps around Lawrence's shoulders and he lets out a bark of laughter. 

“Silly. Let's head on in, ya?”

Lawrence nods. He's probably as ready as he'll ever be.

Strade pulls the door open and they walk in together. A long hallway separates them from the floor and, as they as they walk down, Lawrence wishes it would never end.

But it does.

They work their way through all the moving bodies on the dancefloor. Lawrence clings tight to Strade, only because he's worried about knocking into someone and/or spilling something. 

Just as Lawrence begins to hope it's over, they are at the entrance to a VIP area. The bouncer catches Strade's eye and reaches down to move the thick rope out of their way. 

Lawrence's moves away from Strade when they are safe behind the rope and curtains that shields this area from the main floor. He doesn't try to pull him back in, which Lawrence is grateful for.

There is a chair flush with the wall of the hallway, which is a weird place for a chair. It’s not even that long a hallway. But there is someone sitting in that chair, blue light from a phone illuminating their face so it’s useful on occasion.

Strade's steps get a bit more forceful, a bit louder, when they approach the chair. The boy -- Lawrence deduces by the short hair and flat chest-- doesn't look at them. Doesn't glance up from his phone.

His eyes do turn up when Strade stops about three feet away from his chair. Probably because of the light being blocked by them and his ears shoot up when he sees Strade. Fox ears.

‘oh wow’ Lawrence thinks when he sees the ears move. He's not human. That fact doesn't bother him as much as it should. 

“Strade!” He gets up, letting his tail brush against the fancy couch he was sitting on. 

When Lawrence heard that Strade wanted him to meet some friends of his, he expected someone… stronger? Taller? More intimidating. Not some twinky little fox kid. 

“Hello, _Fuchs_.” Strade reaches down to tousle the red hair (fur?) atop the smaller males head. “I haven't seen you in a few days, how ‘bout a kiss?” 

He steps onto his toes and presses a kiss to Strade's cheek. Strade doesn't look very amused when the fox falls to his normal height.

Lawrence doesn't know this man’s name (and he's quite sure it's not Fuchs). In his normal life, he wouldn't ask, but Strade has been nothing but kind. He doesn't feel like it would be out of line to ask.

“What's your name?” The fox looks a little taken aback. The question, without any segway, must’ve sounded weird to him.

“You didn't tell him?”

“Can't spoil everything.”

He lets out a short sigh and turns to Lawrence. “I'm Ren. Nice to meet ya, Lawrence.” Strade probably told Ren his name. Lawrence nods and holds out his hand for a handshake. Ren gently bats his hand away and places a sweet kiss to his cheek.

Lawrence can feel his face burst out in a blush. A kiss as an introduction? If Strade mentioned Lawrence to Ren, he probably mentioned his aversion to human contact. He doesn't like people he knows even _touching_  him, let alone a complete stranger _kissing him._

Maybe that was the point.

No, it's the fact that Ren greeted him in the same way he greeted Strade. Like he belongs with Ren and Strade like they belong together. Somehow that idea outweighs all others. God, he's so bad with people. 

“Did everyone make it?” Strade asks.

“Yeah,” says Ren. He looks down at a really nice looking watch he has on his wrist and frowns. “Vincent said he had to leave at 1 though, so he won't be here too much longer.”

“Alright.” Strade begins walking again, leaving Lawrence behind as Ren turns toe and does the same. He has to move briskly to catch up. 

The three of them finally reach the end of the hall, and Lawrence surveys the layout. It's quiet; his sense of hearing was always more attuned than any of his others. The music from the main area can still be heard, but it's so quiet. 

There is a small bar off to the left and relatively large booth opposite to that. Which, he notes, is full of people.

Strade sits down in the round booth, scooting to sit by a tall male with a ponytail and sunglasses. A motion with his hand and Ren is getting in the booth too, quickly settling himself on Strade's lap. 

Lawrence takes the spot on the end. It's preferable. If he needs to get out of here fast, he can. But, being honest, Lawrence doesn't think that he'll need to. Provided that these people are like Strade in _that_  aspect, he'll be okay. He'll be welcomed.

They do a quick run down of names for Lawrence's sake. Vincent is the man with a surprising southern accent sitting directly across from Lawrence. The one that needs to leave  soon, he recalls. Sano is the man with large scar over his nose and a piercing grey eye (his other is obscured). Cain, who's sitting to the left of Sano, has flame red hair and is dressed to the nines. As is Rire, who is sitting next to Strade and Ren.

“Get whatever you'd like, Lawrence. It's on Strade’s tab.” 

Strade turns his head threateningly to Cain. “Who the fuck opened my tab? I wasn't even here.” Cain lifts a hand to his mouth, chuckles, and points to Rire. 

“You're rich anyway, stop complaining.” Strade shrugs his shoulders in an agreeing gesture.  Lawrence finds himself wondering just what exactly Strade does for a living.

Based on everything he knows about Strade, it's probably not _l_ _egal_.

When the waiter, a big and scary dude, comes by, Lawrence shakily orders a whiskey. Strade seems a bit confused, which makes sense. Lawrence doesn't look like the ‘whiskey type’.

Their drinks come by soon enough, but when they do, Vincent lifts himself off his seat and moves to get out of the booth.

“Where're you going so early?” Ren asks.

Vincent cocks an eyebrow up. “I told ya I had to leave.”

Ren lays both of his hands on the table and pouts. “At least say ‘Hi’ to Farz for me?” Farz?

“Gotcha, byyyyee.” He slips out of the booth fully and grabs a motorcycle helmet off the table behind him. “Nice meetin’ ya Lawrence. Hope ya can join us again sometime.” Lawrence, surprising to himself, doesn't flinch when Vincent reaches to pat him on the head. 

“yeah.” Vincent hums and heads out through a different door than they came in. Lawrence turns his head to watch him leave. 

“Vince likes you Law.” Strade's voice rips him out of his own head violently and quickly. He’s sure he looks like a scared animal with the way he jumps and turns back around. He just hopes that the darkness hides his blush.

“Oh. How rare. He barely takes a shining to anyone nowadays.”

Rire’s voice is suave and cultured and so, so condescending. “I think the feeling’s mutual, Strade.” Okay, so it is noticeable. Great. He lifts his glass to his lips and takes a huge swing of whiskey. 

“Don't worry about it. Humans have emotions, so we gotta stick together, yeah?” Strade's words actually serve to help him. He's right. Most of -- if not all -- of the people at this table are inhuman. He shouldn't feel bad for something that's so utterly human.

Lawrence looks up from his glass, flubs over his words, until he finally able to stutter out a agreement.

Strade's encouragement still didn't do anything to quell his fear of talking.

“why is he so damn nervous?” Strade’s whispering to Ren isn't really whispering. Lawrence can hear everything. 

“it's cause you come off too strong!” Strade gives off a full-bellied laugh and tightens his hands around Ren’s waist. Ren playfully reaches for his hands and pulls on them. When Strade doesn't let go, it gets slightly more frantic. No one else probably noticed -- too busy talking -- but Lawrence did. 

He does let go, but only when Sano asks him a question.

The rest of the night left Lawrence with the task of people watching -- or non-human watching he supposes. Not that he minds of course; it's actually one of his favorite things.  

He learns a lot about the people sitting at this booth with him. He learns that Sano is a doctor, but probably not a textbook one. Cain and Rire, and probably Sano as well, are demons. The two also have very similar styles and mannerisms. Of the two, Lawrence feels like he'd relate to Rire more. Cain’s too forward with him.

He learns that Ren’s afraid of Strade. Lawrence doesn't know exactly what went down between the two, but when Strade reaches for Ren in any capacity, he flinches slightly. It's weird. Mainly because Strade seems hyper-aware of Ren and his fear. He's playing with Ren’s feelings like a toy. It would make a normal man sick to his stomach, but Lawrence isn't normal.

The only thing that really bothers him is that _none of this really bothers him_. The non-humans actually seem more genuine than some humans are. Most days, he doesn't feel fully human himself, so he finds himself relating to them.

Lawrence feels at home with this group. Sure Strade is a bit too upbeat and Rire a bit too charming. Ren too alert and Sano too sullen. Vincent too caring and Cain too sadistic. He knows one thing has brought this group of opposites together. The same thing he has in common with them. Killing humans and taking pride in the work. 

Finally a group that _accepts_ and _understands_  him.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any BTD prompts, send ‘em my way in the comments; I love writing for all the boys. Also, tell me what you thought about this little scene.


End file.
